WEIRD FACTS
Adding capsaicin, the chemical responsible for making chile peppers spicy, improved the efficiency of solar cells in experiments. A group of perovskite solar cells that have been treated with capsaicin. (Jin Yang) – By Alex Fox SmithsonianMag.Com 2021 Feb 02 – New research …
North Korea has a long history of hacking targets in the U.S. Chris Price/Flickr, CC BY-ND – By Paulo Shakarian, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Arizona State University 2021 Feb 04 – North Korean hackers have staged an audacious attack targeting cybersecurity researchers, …
PETA alleged last year that its investigators found young monkeys were chained and trained to pick coconuts at multiple farms in Thailand. Following appeals from PETA and two PETA Asia undercover investigations into the use of captive monkeys, who are kept chained and …
The ugly message “Murder the media,” etched into a door of the Capitol by an angry mob of violent Trump supporters January 6, reflects the deep lack of trust in American journalism stoked by a demagogic President and his enablers over the last …
Scientists have developed materials that can propel themselves, such as this self-jumping polymer shell. Yongjin Kim, UMass Amherst – By Nick Lavars 2021 Feb 01 – Inspired by the way plants like Venus flytraps can snap closed and reset themselves, scientists have developed new …
Permafrost is thawing across the Arctic, releasing microbes and organic materials that have been trapped in the frozen ground for thousands of years. NOAA via Wikimedia Commons – Authors: Jessie Creamean, Research Scientist, Colorado State University – Thomas Hill, Research Scientist, Colorado State …
Deicing salts keep winter roads passable but do a lot of harm in the process. Gregory Rec/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images – By Monika Bleszynski, Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor, University of Denver 2021 Jan 29 – Many people associate a …
New Mexico city faces a crisis as Covid ravages the tourism-based economy and newcomers crowd the housing market. Santa Fe, New Mexico, has one of the tightest rental markets in the US. Photograph: Sean Pavone/Alamy – By Cody Nelson in Santa Fe Last …
After composing and transcribing music for my wedding day, Red Baraat was born. Dave Sharma leads the baraat (wedding procession) on dhol, as I walk with my mother, family, and friends. August 27, 2005. (Photo courtesy of Sunny Jain) – By Sunny Jain …
Unique physiology allows the Australian marsupial to produce square-shaped feces that may aid communication. Scientists believe the cube shape of the wombat’s poo may aid in communication, as spherical feces are more likely to roll away. Photograph: mlharing/Getty Images/iStockphoto – By Natasha May …